Work environments such as call centers (and their agents) are typically evaluated on their level of compliance to service level agreements (SLAs). This level of compliance is based on a number of quantitative metrics, referred to as key performance indicators (KPIs), (e.g., the average handle time (AHT) for handling a call), and quality assessment metrics, referred to in some cases as Called Customer SATisfaction (CSAT). CSAT is a satisfaction score that is gathered sporadically by having customers fill out a survey some period of time after the call ends. The surveys are based on a follow-up survey performed by a third party with respect to a sample of calls, or collected automatically through an IVR (Interactive Voice Response) device.
CSAT is a key metric employed for call centers today. A CSAT value reflects how satisfied a customer is with the company. Another very closely related metric is Net Promoter Score (NPS), which indicates the likeliness that an end customer is willing to recommend the company to others. Call/service center businesses pay very close attention to this metric because it is a key differentiator in the commoditized call center business.
Agents are also evaluated by quality assurance (QA) officers, who replay recorded calls typically on a weekly basis and evaluate them in a detailed manner based on a number of categories related to policy adherence, system use, technical capabilities, soft skills, and so forth. This score is usually a percentage and agents typically must score between 95-100% to achieve acceptable levels of quality. This is often a KPI in the SLA.
Unfortunately, CSAT is very difficult to collect, mainly because so few customers respond to the survey requests. Other quality KPIs based on similar evaluations, which require time and expertise, suffer a similar fate. In addition, quality metrics including CSAT are also strong indicators to manage a team (auto motivation, training plan, etc.), but the infrequency of the data makes it difficult to use, especially when call difficulty varies over time.